End-gate



'W. GULBERTSON. End-Gate.

No. 225,803. Patented Mar. 23, 1880 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM OULBERTSON, OF MOOREFIELD, ASSIGIIOB OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO WVILBUR L. FISK, OF VEVAY, INDIANA.

END-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 225,803, dated March 23, 1880.

Application filed October 8, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM OULBER'rsoN, of Moorefield, Switzerland county, Indiana, have invented a new and useful Fastening for the End-Gates of Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a fastening device for the end-gates (head or tail board) of any wagon, cart, or other vehicle employing such members, said device being intended to secure the following advantages, to wit: ease and dispatch of fastening and unfastening, and that either by a person standing upon the ground or occupying the vehicle; capacity for I 5 taking up all slack and for drawing the sides of the wagon-bed firmly against the gate, so

as to prevent spreading, and the bottom edge of the gate into close contact with the floor of the wagon-bed; durabilityand exemption from liability to be lost, all parts of the fastening remaining attached either to the bed or to the gate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an end-gate in position, one fastening being represented in the taut and the other in the slack condition. Fig. 2 shows the fastening in elevation, and with its parts disengaged. Fig. 3 is a top View of the same with its parts engaged and drawn taut. Amay represent the floor, and B B the sides, of a wagon bed, and 0 one of its end-gates. D is a chain, which terminates in an eyebolt, E, that is passed through an orifice in the right or left side, as the case may be, and is screw- 3 5 threaded to take a nut, F, by means of which the chain may bevirtually lengthened or shortened.

Screwed or bolted at G to the gate 0 is a segment-plate, H, whose circular periphery terminates in stops I I, and is undercut, as shown at h.

To the plate H is pivoted a lever, J, whose lip j engages behind the undercut periphery h of the segment-plate H.

The lever J has a hook, K, over which the end link of the chain D, being engaged while the lever is in the erect posit-ion, hangs slack, as indicated on the right-hand side of Fig. l, but is drawn taut by depression of the lever, as shown on the left-hand side of the same figme, the relations of the parts being such as to stretch the chain by such action. The maximum tension occurring a little before the lever reaches the lower stop, I, the fastening becomes securely locked, and cannot be jolted or 5 5 shaken loose.

The lever J may have a handle, L, for its more convenient manipulation.

All members of the fastening being symmetrical may be employed indiflerently for either right or left fastening.

The plate H and lever J may be of malleable iron.

I claim as new and of my invention- An endgate fastening for wagon-beds, con- 6 5 sisting, essentially, of chain D, cyebolt E, and nut F upon the bed side, and of segment-plate H h I I and lever J j KL upon the gate, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM (JULBERTSON.

Attest WILBUR L. FIsK, ANDREW F. DARLING. 

